The State of Our Unions: Marriage in America

Marriage rates are at historic lows. According to the Pew Research Center’s analysis of 2010 Census data, while in 1960 nearly three out of four of all adults were married, today just half are. Why are Americans delaying or even shunning the institution? What could this decline mean for their economic futures? Does marriage still matter? University of Maryland sociologist Philip Cohen explains what factors, from gender equality to educational attainment, have played a role in the decline of marriage rates.

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Hate crimes against Muslims have surged in the last year. And Muslims have been a popular target during the presidential campaign: Ben Carson said a Muslim could not become president; Ted Cruz called for police to patrol Muslim neighborhoods. And Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, proposed a temporary ban on Muslim immigrants, a position he’s recently softened. Some Muslims say they feel less safe than at any time in recent memory, even after 9-11. Scholars say a long-standing fear of Islam among Westerners is driving the current wave of hostility. What are the roots of this anxiety? And how do terrorist attacks by people claiming a Muslim identity play into our fears?